System, method and apparatus for communicating with vehicle occupants

ABSTRACT

An application for a two-way communication system for communicating with a person who is within a closed vehicle includes a short-range radio transmission to transmit audio to a radio within the vehicle. Communication from the person is done by reflecting a light beam on a window of the vehicle and receiving the light beam, which is modulated by vibration of the window caused by the person&#39;s voice. The received light beam is then processed to reproduce the sound of the person&#39;s voice.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 61/189,024; filed Aug. 15, 2008, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of communications and moreparticularly to a system for communicating with an occupant of a sealedvehicle.

BACKGROUND

There are many needs for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle,car, bus, truck, etc. Examples of such are to initiate a transaction ata drive through, answering questions at a roadblock or checkpoint,during a traffic stop, etc. Currently, to perform such communicationsrequires an occupant of the vehicle open a window or door andcommunicate through that open window or door.

An example of such communication occurs when one places an order at anorder taking position of a fast food restaurant. In such, the occupantmust roll down their window (or open their door) and verballycommunicate with a speaker and microphone located at the order takingposition. By opening the window, the occupant is exposed, not only tothe weather, but to a potential of theft, bodily injury or carjacking.Meanwhile, the person taking the order is safe, dry and warm inside thefast food restaurant. To further compound the difficulty incommunication, often the speaker is of inadequate quality to clearlyhear the order taker and the background noise coupled with microphonequality and position makes it difficult for the order taker to hear andunderstand the occupant of the vehicle.

In certain climates, weather makes it uncomfortable and inconvenient forthe occupant to open their window. In some location, cold weatherincludes temperatures well below zero, wind, rain, hail, snow, blowingsnow, blowing sand and dust, etc. It is often uncomfortable to open awindow in such climates, especially when young children are alsosituated in the vehicle. Many potential customers of establishments withdrive-thru facilities are dissuaded from frequenting such establishmentsduring bad weather.

In certain neighborhoods, it is dangerous to open a vehicle window forfear that a suspect will reach in the vehicle, cause bodily injury, grabsomething of value, coerce the occupant into getting out, etc. Manypotential customers of establishments with drive-thru facilities aredissuaded from frequenting such establishments due to fear of lostvaluables and/or bodily harm.

In certain law-enforcement situations it becomes necessary for a lawofficer, border guard, sentry, etc, to communicate with a vehicleoccupant. For example, when a law officer makes a traffic stop, theofficer must communicate with the driver to inform them of what they didwrong (speeding), get their name, license number, insurance company,etc. Similarly, at a checkpoint such as at a roadblock, border, etc, itis sometimes needed to ask questions of the vehicle occupants. The sameor similar environmental and safety issues are present in thesesituations. For example, when a law officer makes a traffic stop, itmight be raining, snowing, etc. Often, the officer must get out of theirvehicle to retrieve the driver's information, return to their vehicle toaccess their computer system and issue the summons, then exit theirvehicle to present the summons to the driver. This exposes the officerto the elements and increases the risk of the officer being hit by apassing vehicle, especially in bad weather. Furthermore, the initialconfrontation with the driver is a dangerous situation for the officer.If the individual is wanted for something serious, has a gun or isotherwise dangerous, the initial confrontation often becomes a lifethreatening situation for the officer.

There are existing ways to perform such communications, none of whichare practical. For example, a cellular phone can be used to call thefast food establishment to place an order just before approaching thepick-up window. This is not practical for several reasons: not everybodyhas a cell phone, cell phone minutes cost money that most don't want towaste and use of a long-range device such as a cell phone does notestablish a working queue for the pick-up window, therefore a firstperson might arrive at the window and their order is not ready while theorder is ready and getting cold for the fifth person in queue.

Another way to perform such communications is with a short-rangewireless communication device such as a walkie-talkie. This solutionwould work if everybody had such a device and there were sufficientchannels such that one wouldn't be placing an order at one fast foodestablishment and the order be taken at a different establishment.

There are known one-way methods of communicating with a vehicleoccupant. For years, it has been known to locally transmit audio tooccupants of vehicles through the ubiquitous AM/FM radio present inalmost every vehicle. This has been done to warn drivers of weather andtraffic issues, to guide drivers into theme parks, to describeattractions as the occupants drive through (e.g., animal parks), etc.This has long been used as an inward way to communicate in one directionand has no way for the vehicle occupant(s) to communicate outwardly.

Another one-way method of communications that has been around for manyyears utilizes light energy reflected off of a window such that, when anoccupant behind the window makes noise, the noise causes the windowglass to vibrate, thereby modulating the reflected light energy. Thereflected light energy is received by a sensor and the sound isdemodulated or extracted out of the reflected light. The light is oftenfrom a laser to provide an accurate, directional beam. This has beenused, predominately in ease dropping, probably originating with LeonTheremin in the Soviet Union approximately 1947 using a low-power infrared beam instead of a laser. For example, a spy would sit in a hotelacross from an embassy with such a device and listen in on what wasbeing said behind closed doors within the embassy. Nowadays, laserlistening devices similar to these are available to the amateur spy frommany suppliers on the Internet.

What is needed is a system that will enable two-way communicationwithout requiring opening of the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A two-way communication system for communicating with a person who iswithin a closed vehicle is disclosed. Communication to the person isdone with a short-range radio transmission to a radio within thevehicle. Communication from the person is done by reflecting a lightbeam on a window of the vehicle and receiving the light beam, which ismodulated by vibration of the window caused by the person's voice. Thereceived light beam is then processed to reproduce the sound of theperson's voice.

In one embodiment, a vehicle communication system is disclosed includinga device for transmitting a first audio signal to a radio within avehicle and a second device for receiving a second audio signal fromwithin the vehicle. The device for receiving the second audio signalincludes a light source and a light detector. The light source emitslight aimed at a window of the vehicle and the detector (also aimed atthe window) is positioned to receive at least some of the lightreflected back from the window. The light reflected back is modulated bythe window which vibrates sympathetically by the second audio signalfrom within the vehicle.

In another embodiment, a method of communicating with a person within avehicle is disclosed including transmitting a first audio signal from ashort-range radio frequency transmitter to a radio within a vehicle,emitting a light beam towards a window of the vehicle, receiving areflected light beam from the window of the vehicle (the reflected lightbeam containing at least some of the original light beam), andextracting a second audio signal from the vehicle from the reflectedlight beam.

In another embodiment, a vehicle communication apparatus is disclosedincluding a radio frequency transmitter that modulates a first audiosignal onto a radio frequency signal. A radio within the vehiclereceives the radio frequency signal, extracts the first audio signalfrom the radio frequency signal and reproduces the first audio signal toa sound producing device. A light source emits a light and is aimed at awindow of the vehicle. A detector is also aimed at the window andpositioned to receive at least part of the light as light reflected fromthe window of the vehicle. An audio detector is coupled to the detectorto extract a second audio signal from the reflected light, to amplifythe second audio signal and to direct the second audio signal to anaudio output device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill inthe art by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a system of the prior art.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a system of a first embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of a system of a first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a second plan view of a system of a first embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of a system of a second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic view of a system of a first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic view of a system of a second embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description,the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures.

Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a system 2 of the prior artwill be described. Presently, the typical drive-through customer orderinterface 2 consists of a speaker and a voice pickup located withinrange of a vehicle 10. In some cases, the speaker is integrated into asign 24 and the sign often presents a menu of ordering options to thedriver 12 of the car 10. The voice pickup is often located either on thesign 24 or in a separate structure 26 for sound isolation from thespeaker. In operation, the driver 12 opens their window, speaks into thevoice pickup and listens to the order-taker who is typically within theestablishment 22. After placing the order, the driver 12 typicallydrives the car to a pickup window that is physically on theestablishment 22 where the order is paid for and delivered to thedriver. Most vehicles have some sort of AM and/or AM/FM and/or FM radiowith an antenna 14 (some antennas are integrated into the vehicle glassor other part of the vehicle).

Several problems exist with the system 2 of the prior art. One isweather. During rain, snow, sleet, hail, dust storms, high winds, etc,it is often undesirable to open one's window, after which, the driver 12and passengers are exposed to such elements. Furthermore, the rain,dust, etc, are harmful to the interior of the vehicle 10, causingdiscoloring, mildew, stains, etc. Another problem is insects such asmosquitoes, bees, wasps, hornets, etc. Once the driver 12 opens his orher window, any sort of insect is capable of entering the vehicle,possibly causing irritation or worse, a distraction, especially if theinsect bites or stings the driver. Another problem is allergies, inthat, during allergy season, many drivers 12 and occupants are best offin closed confinement and, opening of the window, allows a greaternumber of allergens into the vehicle. Another problem is security. Thereare many reported cases of theft, assault, carjacking, bodily injury andthe like occurring when the driver 12 of the car 10 opens their windowto place an order in a system 2 of the prior art. Once the window isopen, the driver 12 is vulnerable to attack from a perpetrator thatsneaks up from behind.

Referring to FIG. 2, a perspective view of a system 20 of a firstembodiment of the present invention will be described. Althoughapplicable to many vehicle-building interface situations, including, butnot limited to, fast-food or other food-related drive-through systems,banking systems, car washes, etc, the present invention is shown in anexemplary system for a food-related, drive-through. In the exampleshown, the vehicle 10 is at an order-taking position of a typicaldrive-through establishment 22. The driver 12 has not opened his or herwindow 16 and is in communication with the order taking person (notshown) who is inside the establishment 22. Ordinarily, it would bedifficult for the order taking person to be able to hear the driver 12,but the order taking station includes a communication system 31 housedin, for example a free-standing communications box 30, although anyparticular mounting of the communication system 31 is anticipated,including mounting it within signage 24.

The communication system 31 includes a voice detector 32/34 and ashort-range radio frequency transmitter 88 (see FIG. 6) with antenna 36.In a preferred embodiment, the voice detector 32/34 includes a lighttransmitter 32 and a light receiver 34. Light is transmitted from thelight transmitter 32, reflects off of the car window 16 and thenreflected light is detected by the light receiver 34. As the driver 12speaks, the window vibrates causing the reflected light signal to bemodulated with the driver's voice. The reflected light signal is thendemodulated and the voice is detected and relayed to the order taker(not shown) within the establishment 22. It is anticipated that afterdetecting the voice, the voice signal is amplified, optionallyfiltered/noise canceled, and then sent to the order taking stationwithin the establishment 22 over wires or over a wireless connection, asknown in the industry.

Although any form/wavelength of light is anticipated, the preferred usesa low-power laser beam. Such a low power laser beam is easier to detectin bright sunlight and has good directionality. Although the presentinvention works well with ordinary reflection from the typical carwindow 16, it is also anticipated that in alternate embodiments, areflective sticker is affixed to a surface of the window 16 to improvereflection of the light. When provided, some embodiments of the stickerinclude advertising on the outside and/or inside surface and/or amessage on the inside surface (e.g., “Tune to 100.2 FM”). In someembodiments, the sticker includes a bar code that is detectable by thevoice detector 32/34. In such embodiments, the bar code is used torecall previous interactions with the car/vehicle 10 to provide enhancedservices such as recalling previous orders, recalling acredit-card-on-file or recalling the driver's name, etc.

In an alternate embodiment, the driver's 12 voice is detected by ahigh-gain microphone instead of reflected light. This embodimentrequires a great deal of filtering and noise cancellation to rid thevoice signal of extraneous noise from the vehicle 10 and theenvironment.

So that the driver 12 hears the order taker, a voice transmitter isprovided. Although a highly amplified voice speaker is anticipated, thisis not a preferred embodiment due to the disturbance it would create aswell as the poor quality of the sound that makes it into the vehicle 10with closed window 16. Instead, the preferred embodiment employs ashort-range radio transmitter 88 (see FIG. 6) within the communicationsystem 31, which transmits a radio signal from the antenna 36 to thevehicle radio 15 (see FIG. 3) through the vehicle antenna 14 (any formof vehicle antenna 14 is anticipated). It is preferred that the radiotransmitter 88 transmits over a locally unused AM or FM radio channel.This is preferred because most vehicles 10 are factory equipped with anAM radio, an FM radio or an AM/FM radio. It is also anticipated that theradio transmitter 88 transmits simultaneously on both an AM station andan FM station.

Referring to FIG. 3, a plan view of a system of a first embodiment ofthe present invention will be described. The communication system 31includes a voice detector 32/34 and a short-range radio frequencytransmitter 88 (see FIG. 6) with antenna 36. In a preferred embodiment,the voice detector 32/34 includes a light transmitter 32 and a lightreceiver 34. Light is transmitted from the light transmitter 32,reflects off of the car window 16 and then reflected light is detectedby the light receiver 34. As the driver 12 speaks, the window 16vibrates causing the reflected light signal to be modulated with thedriver's voice. The reflected light signal is then demodulated and thevoice is detected (see FIG. 6) and relayed to the order taking station(see FIG. 6) within the establishment 22. It is anticipated that afterdetecting the voice, the voice signal is amplified, optionallyfiltered/noise canceled, and then sent to the order taking stationwithin the establishment 22 over wires or over a wireless connection, asknown in the industry.

Although any form/wavelength of light is anticipated, the preferred usesa low-power laser beam. Such a low power laser beam is easier to detectin bright sunlight and has good directionality. Although the presentinvention works well with ordinary reflection from the typical car 10window 16, it is also anticipated that in alternate embodiments, areflective sticker is affixed to a surface of the window 16 to improvereflection of the light. When provided, some embodiment of the stickerinclude advertising on the outside and/or inside surface and/or amessage on the inside surface (e.g., “Tune to 100.2 FM”). In someembodiments, the sticker includes a bar code that is detectable by thevoice detector 32/34. In such embodiments, the bar code is used torecall previous interactions with the car/vehicle 10 to provide enhancedservices such as recalling previous orders, recalling acredit-card-on-file or recalling the driver's name, etc.

Referring to FIG. 4, a second plan view of a system of a firstembodiment of the present invention will be described. The driver 12receives audio from the order taker position (see FIG. 6) from ashort-range radio transmitter 88 (see FIG. 6) with an antenna 36. Thepreferred embodiment employs a short-range radio transmitter 88 (seeFIG. 6) within the communication system 31, which transmits a radiosignal from the antenna 36 (any antenna known in the industry) to thevehicle radio 15 through the vehicle antenna 14 (any form of vehicleantenna 14 is anticipated). It is preferred that the radio transmitter88 transmits over a locally unused AM or FM radio channel. This ispreferred because most vehicles 10 are factory equipped with an AMradio, an FM radio or an AM/FM radio. It is also anticipated that theradio transmitter 88 transmit simultaneously on both an AM station andan FM station.

Referring to FIG. 5, a plan view of a system of a second embodiment ofthe present invention will be described. The present invention providesa high-quality, two-way audio communications system between a firstentity such as vehicle (e.g. a car 10 with windows closed) and secondentity such as a store/fast food restaurant, military check-point, etc.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the second entity is another vehicle50, shown as a law-enforcement vehicle 50. In this example, the vehicle10 is the subject of a traffic stop by the law-enforcement vehicle 50.Prior to the present invention, the officer 57 had to exit their vehicle50 and approach the suspect vehicle 10 in order to obtain informationfrom the driver 12 (e.g., license, registration, and proof ofinsurance). Not only is this inconvenient in bad weather, but this hasproven dangerous in many situations due to criminal activity within thevehicle 10 as well as dangers from other motorists, especially onhigh-speed roads.

To provide the communications between the occupants of the first vehicle10 with the occupant of the second vehicle 50, the second vehicle 50 isequipped with the communication system of the present invention. Theofficer 57 speaks into a microphone 80 (see FIG. 7) and his or her voiceis transmitted to the occupants of the first vehicle 10 over ashort-range radio frequency signal transmitted between an antenna 56 onthe second vehicle 50 to an antenna 14 on the first vehicle 10 and theninto a radio 15 within the first vehicle 10 which reproduces theofficer's voice. When the occupant(s) 12 of the vehicle 10 speak, thewindow 17 of the first vehicle 10 vibrates sympathetically with theoccupant's voice. The vibration is detected by the light transceiver 52mounted on the second vehicle 50 (shown on the roof, but any location isanticipated). In this way, the officer 57 hears whatever is being saidwithin the first vehicle 10.

It is anticipated that some privacy issues may result in the use of suchsystems and, such issues, if they occur, need to be dealt with throughlegislation or other means. For example, it is anticipated that a law bepassed to permit an officer 57 to begin reception of audio from theoccupant(s) 12 of the first vehicle 10 as soon as they turn on theircherry light 59 and/or siren (not shown).

It is also anticipated that, the officer 57 needs to communicate to theoccupant(s) 12 that the occupant(s) 12 need tune their radio to aspecific frequency. It is anticipated that this be a community-wide norm(e.g., everybody in Saint Petersburg Florida understands that they needto tune to FM 100.1 when stopped by an officer 57) or by a sign or loudspeaker mounted on the law-enforcement vehicle 50.

It is also anticipated that, to reduce privacy issues, thelaw-enforcement vehicle 50 is equipped with a detector that detects theradio station to which the radio 15 is tuned. In this, the radio 15 hasa local oscillator (not shown) as known in the industry and the localoscillator matches the frequency of the radio station to which theoccupant(s) 12 are tuned. The law-enforcement vehicle 50 has a sensitiveRF detector, as known in the industry, that, upon detecting that theradio 15 is tuned to the specified station (e.g., FM 100.1), the voicesensor 52 is enabled. In such, the occupant(s) 12 are “givingpermission” to the officer 57 by tuning to the prescribed station.

Referring to FIG. 6, a schematic view of a system of a first embodimentof the present invention will be described. In this example, amicrophone 80 is connected to an amplifier 82 that amplifies the voicefrom personnel within the establishment 22. The amplified audio isconnected to an RF transmitter 86 within the communication system 31(e.g., within or remote from the personnel and establishment 22) throughcables and/or wireless means as known in the industry. The RFtransmitter 88 modulates the audio using, for example, audio modulation(AM), frequency modulation (FM) or any known modulation technique. Themodulated RF signal passes out of the communication system 31 via anantenna 36, as known in the industry.

In this example, a laser diode 98 is utilized, though any known sourceof light is anticipated. The laser diode 98 is controlled by a drivercircuit 99, as known in the industry and emits light through the lighttransmitter orifice 32. The light reflects off of the vehicle window 16and back in though the light receiver orifice 34 and onto a detector 96,in this example, a photo diode, although any known detection device isanticipated. The detector 96 is coupled to a detection circuit 94 whichextracts the audio signal. This audio signal is passed through anoptional filter 92. The filter 92 removes unwanted noise such as thatcaused by the vehicle's engine. The audio from the filter 92 isamplified by an optional amplifier 90 (as known in the industry) andcoupled to a power amplifier 86 (e.g., within the establishment) bywired or wireless means, as known in the industry. The power amplifier86 amplifies the audio sufficiently to drive a speaker 84 and/orheadphones (not shown). Many other circuits and/or arrangements areknown and anticipated, the one shown in FIG. 6 being but one example ofsuch.

Referring to FIG. 7, a schematic view of a system of a second embodimentof the present invention will be described. In this example, amicrophone 80 is connected to an amplifier 82 that amplifies the voicefrom personnel within the law enforcement vehicle 50. The amplifiedaudio is connected to an RF transmitter 88 within the communicationsystem 31. The RF transmitter modulates the audio using, for example,audio modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM) or any known modulationtechnique. The modulated RF signal passes out of the communicationsystem 31 via an antenna 56, as known in the industry.

In this example, a laser diode 98 is utilized, though any known sourceof light is anticipated. The laser diode 98 is controlled by a drivercircuit 99, as known in the industry and emits light through the lighttransmitter orifice 32 of the vehicle transceiver 52. The light reflectsoff of the vehicle window 16 and back in though the light receiverorifice 34 and onto a detector 96, in this example, a photo diode,although any known detection device is anticipated. The detector 96 iscoupled to a detection circuit 94 which extracts the audio signal. Thisaudio signal is passed through an optional filter 92. The filter 92removes unwanted noise such as that caused by the vehicle's engine. Theaudio from the filter 92 is amplified by an optional amplifier 90 (asknown in the industry) and coupled to a power amplifier 86 (within thelaw enforcement vehicle 50) as known in the industry. The poweramplifier 86 amplifies the audio sufficiently to drive a speaker 84 orheadphones (not shown). Many other circuits and/or arrangements areknown and anticipated, the one shown in FIG. 7 being but one example ofsuch.

Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above suchthat they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially thesame way for achieving substantially the same result.

It is believed that the system and method of the present invention andmany of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoingdescription. It is also believed that it will be apparent that variouschanges may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of thecomponents thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. Theform herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatoryembodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims toencompass and include such changes.

1. A vehicle communication system comprising: a means for transmitting afirst audio signal to a radio within a vehicle; and a means forreceiving a second audio signal from within the vehicle, the means forreceiving the second audio signal including a light source and adetector, the light source emitting light, the light aimed at a windowof the vehicle and the detector aimed at the window and positioned toreceive at least some of the light reflected back from the window; thelight reflected back modulated by the second audio signal from withinthe vehicle by vibration of the window.
 2. The vehicle communicationsystem of claim 1, wherein the light source is a laser light source. 3.The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the light source isa semiconductor laser diode.
 4. The vehicle communication system ofclaim 1, wherein the detector is a photo diode.
 5. The vehiclecommunication system of claim 1, wherein the means for receiving theaudio signal further comprises a filter, the filter removing at leastsome environment noise.
 6. The vehicle communication system of claim 1,wherein the means for transmitting the first audio signal is ashort-range FM radio transmitter.
 7. A method of communicating with aperson within a vehicle, the method comprising: transmitting a firstaudio signal from a short-range radio frequency transmitter to a radiowithin a vehicle; emitting a light beam towards a window of the vehicle;receiving a reflected light beam from the window of the vehicle, thereflected light beam containing at least some of the light beamreflected from the window; and extracting a second audio signal from thevehicle from the reflected light beam.
 8. The method of claim 7, whereinthe step of emitting the light beam includes emitting light from a laserlight source.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of emitting thelight beam includes emitting light from a semiconductor laser diode. 10.The method of claim 7, wherein the step of receiving the reflected lightbeam uses a photo diode.
 11. The method of claim 7, further comprisesafter the step of extracting, a step of filtering noise from the secondaudio signal and removing at least some environment noise.
 12. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the step of transmitting the first audiosignal uses a short-range FM radio transmitter.
 13. A vehiclecommunication apparatus comprising: a radio frequency transmitter, theradio frequency transmitter modulates a first audio signal onto a radiofrequency signal; a radio within a vehicle, the radio receives the radiofrequency signal, and the radio extracts the first audio signal from theradio frequency signal and reproduces the first audio signal to a soundproducing device; a light source, the light source emits a light, thelight aimed at a window of the vehicle; a detector, the detector aimedat the window and positioned to receive at least part of the light asreflected light from the window of the vehicle; and an audio detectoroperatively coupled to the detector, the audio detector extracts asecond audio signal from the reflected light from the window of thevehicle, the audio detector amplifies the second audio signal anddirects the second audio signal to an audio output device.
 14. Thevehicle communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the light source isa laser light source.
 15. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim13, wherein the light source is a semiconductor laser diode.
 16. Thevehicle communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein the detector is aphoto diode.
 17. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 13,wherein the detector further comprises a filter, the filter removing atleast some environment noise.
 18. The vehicle communication apparatus ofclaim 13, wherein the radio frequency transmitter is a short-range FMradio transmitter.
 19. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 13,wherein the radio frequency transmitter is a short-range FM radiotransmitter.
 20. The vehicle communication apparatus of claim 13,wherein the audio output device is a speaker.